Little-known carriers offer cheap fares

Friday, Nov. 28, 2003 | 8:55 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

By now, most bargain-hungry passengers have heard of discount airlines such as Southwest and JetBlue. But they may not have heard of such small fry as Allegiant, Southeast or USA3000.

While the focus is on big discounters and their growing fleets, a few smaller operators offer big-jet service on routes that others have avoided or at prices they don't want to touch.

All offer regularly scheduled flights to mostly warm-weather, leisure destinations such as Florida or Las Vegas. Some operate under standard airline rules, while others fly as "public charters" -- which mean a few small differences mostly invisible to passengers. Most use their planes for charter operations on the side.

Besides Las Vegas-based Allegiant, some of the other players are:

Southeast. This airline operates eight DC-9s and MD-80s, mostly between smaller airports outside big cities to Florida. The exception is a route between Allentown, Pa., and Las Vegas.

Airports such as Allentown; Newburgh, N.Y.; or Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, are more convenient for passengers to use than bigger airports are, says Scott Bacon, a Southeast vice president. Rickenbacker, for instance, has two gates.

Besides its regular fares, the airline offers bigger discounts to those who pay an annual fee. For $299 a year for a single membership, all one-way fares to anywhere the airline flies are $59 each way if there's a seat available.

TransMeridian. Although the airline has been flying charters since 1995, it started selling directly to the public last summer. It flies primarily from medium-size cities in the Midwest and Northwest to Florida and the Caribbean. The fleet has 10 planes, an assortment of Boeing 727s and 757s and MD-80s. It will grow to 15 by the middle of next year, says CEO Rob Binns. All passengers are served complimentary meals, a feature that's quickly becoming a pay-as-you-go item on most airlines.

USA3000. The Philadelphia-based discounter primarily runs flights from big cities in the East and Midwest to Florida and Mexican vacation resort cities. Flying since 2001, USA3000 has six A320 aircraft, with four more coming, says spokesman Trevor Sadler.